Top-ranked Madison defeats Centre
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
The Centre High School Cougars faced a formidable foe in their first game of the season as Madison, fourth-ranked in the state, came to the home field.
With two starters sidelined, the Cougars were outmatched and undoubtedly intimidated by the Bulldogs and were defeated, 48-0.
Not that they didn't try.
"Our kids played hard," Coach Kelly Steiner said after the game.
They made some tough tackles down the stretch, and quarterback Ben Krause had some potentially successful passes which slipped through the hands of the receivers or were knocked down by the bigger defenders.
The Bulldogs had numerous penalties, but the setbacks didn't prevent them from reaching their goal. They moved down the field again and again in the first half.
Helped by two interceptions and a fumble recovery, they found the end zone five times for touchdowns and five times for 10 extra points. In addition, Centre gave Madison two points on a touchback in the Cougars' first possession. The score stood at 42-0.
It looked like the game was going to be over at half-time, based on the 45-point rule, but the Cougars stopped the Bulldogs just inches from the goal line as time ran out.
The successful stop boosted the morale of the Cougars, and they came back out fighting. They were able to stop the Bulldogs on at least two drives, but Madison once again surged ahead. At 5:15 in the third quarter, they scored the final touchdown on a 24-yard pass to clinch the win and end the game.
The Cougars play Wakefield Friday on the road.
